


Regretful Wingman

by miistann



Category: A3! (Video Game)
Genre: AU, F/M, Hanahaki Disease, Masumi still likes Izumi at first, Reader is NOT Izumi, Reader-Insert, TUFF, wingman
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:47:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26956087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miistann/pseuds/miistann
Summary: [Hanahaki Disease AU] [Masumi x Reader]Getting rid of a love rival was never easy, but for Masumi it was, All he had to do was be the wingman for his best friend, (Name). Only needing to  set her up with one of his fellow company members.Oh what a slippery slope that'd turn out to be.
Relationships: Nanao Taichi/Reader, Usui Masumi/Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 39





	1. [1/5]

A small sigh escaped a girls lips, "Wish those girls would stop staring at us. I sit with you every day, shouldn't they be used to it by now?" She grumpily spoke, picking at the food in her lunchbox, obviously not feeling capable of enjoying her food with stares of jealousy being harshly shot her way. She continued to grumble complaints under her breath as she picked up her fruit cup. 

The male sitting in front of her had his head resting on his arms on the table they were sharing. He lifted his head slightly to speak, "What about you? Shouldn't you get used to seeing them staring every day?" He calmly questioned, though it was clear he couldn't care less.

At his words, she stabbed a spoon through the lid of her fruit cup, her body seemingly going limp in defeat afterwards, "Masumi you know better than me. It's just... different." She fully opened up her fruit cup and stuffed a spoonful into her mouth, "Beshides, if dey want to talk to you shooo badly, they should just do it aweady." She finished off with a huff as she went back for more fruit. 

"Even if they did, I wouldn't care." Masumi put his head back down onto the table, "The only girls I talk to are you and..." he trailed off, his cheeks getting slightly warmer as he thought about the love of his life, "Izumi..."

At the sound of her name, it was like a light bulb went off in (Name)'s head, "Oh that's your director!" She chirped, "She's real cute for someone almost a whole ten years older than us! Think she likes girls too?" Compared to the jealous glares from the girls, Masumi's own glare could've killed, but (Name) simply laughed it off as she gave him a friendly pat on his shoulder, "I'm kidding! I like someone else anyways!" 

Luckily for her, his glare had fallen back to its default, a direct opposite to her own stupid grin, "Well...?" She prodded, causing Masumi to raise a brow,

"Well... what?"

She continued to prod, "Don't you wanna know who it is...? Seeing as you're my _best_ friend?" 

"Not real-" 

(Name) completely ignored him as she leaned in, as if she were telling him some huge secret, "It's Nanao! Um, Nanao Taichi!" She tried her best to whisper, but anyone who was basically anyone could have easily heard. Luckily for the both of them, the newfound information that (Name) _didn't_ like Masumi caused the glares to disappear. 

To say Masumi wasn't surprised at all would have been a complete lie. She had really caught feelings for the guy who'd accept a confession from just about any girl in a second? "...Taichi?" He mumbled, still slightly confused. 

"Yeah! I didn't tell you, but I've been going to every single one of your company's shows after I originally went to go see the one you were in, and they were all great!" She let out a content sigh, seemingly remembering the performance, "But Nanao's first performance was so good! And he's-" she turned away from Masumi as she uttered the words, "he's so cute too." She coughed the color on her cheeks away as she looked her best friend in the eyes once again, "But point is, since I already like someone, I'll be sure to keep my distance from your "soulmate" or whatever." 

Masumi's cheeks dusted with a light pink at the mention of Izumi being his soulmate, it made his heart flutter, and his exterior softened as he melted at the thought. His newfound relaxation caused the words "I could talk to him for you." to impulsively spill out. 

Hearing this, (Name) beamed in a way he had never witnessed before, "You'd be my wingman?" Seeing him nod, her hands took hold over his as she clasped them, "I'd be in your debt forever!" Her eyes seemed to gleam more and more with every word she spoke, "In fact..." She let go of his hands and slid over her lunch to him, "Starting now. You can have my lunch." Masumi tried to protest with a "I don't want it," but it willfully went ignored by (Name) who stood up out of her chair with a, "It's yours to do whatever you want with! Maybe even throw away for me?" She laughed, "But class is gonna start soon so I gotta go!" She gave him a mock salute and with a bounce in her step, was out of the room to head to her next class. 

Masumi glanced down at the half eaten lunch and let out a small sigh, "What am I supposed to do with this now?" It wasn't like he was going to throw it away when he knew she made all of the unpackaged food herself, but also he wasn't going to eat it. He had to save room for Izumi's cooking.

Well.. he did just accidentally agree to be (Name)'s wingman, maybe these leftovers could be used for something...

_All this trouble and for what? Simply because she confirmed that he and Izumi were soulmates._

The rest of the school day passed by uneventfully, but that may just be how school passes when you have extreme tunnel vision. Whilst packing up the remainder of his things, the familiar cheery voice of his troupe leader rang out, "Hey Masumi, you ready to head home?" Masumi simply gave a nod, picking up the lunchbox off the table (he didn't want to put it in his bag in case it spilled) and began walking out with none other than Sakuya himself. 

Almost immediately, Sakuya's magenta eyes fell upon the lunchbox in his hands, "Did a fan give you that?" He inquired, "You usually don't accept gifts though..." 

"It's from (Name)." He replied, immediately answering all of Sakuya's questions, "But it's not for me. It's for Taichi. She liked his performance, apparently." And with just one sentence, all of Sakuya's questions had returned,

"(Name) is a fan of Taichi?" He questioned, when the stoic boy next to him simply shrugged he took it as an invitation to continue, "I didn't even know she went to their play, I bet he'll be super happy to hear he has a fan!" He chuckled, "Bet he'll be even happier at the fact this was a fan who went through the trouble of trying to give something to him." 

Masumi stared down at the box in his hands silently, remembering how he had to throw away the trash she had mindlessly threw in there just to make it look appetizing again. The process wasn't exactly pleasant, but if (Name) wasn't actually joking about finding Izumi attractive, surely by helping her with Taichi would remove her as a potential rival. 

The rest of their walk home was filled with idle chatter (Sakuya was doing the majority of the talking). 

"We're home!" Sakuya exclaimed to a mostly empty place, save for the only other two boys in the living room.

"Yo." Greeted a brunette who didn't bother to look up as he fiddled with a (solved) rubik's cube on the couch. 

"Welcome back! We're pretty much the only ones home right now, except for Hisoka- he's in his room sleeping." The second red-headed boy cheerfully exclaimed, actually turning around to look at the two. 

Wordlessly, Masumi walked over and handed the boy the lunchbox, effectively confusing him, "What's this for?" He asked, looking between the new lunchbox in his hands and the boy who had handed it to him, "Someone told me to give it to you." Technically, Masumi had answered his question, though it was clear he was still puzzled. 

"Not just anyone!" Sakuya interjected, "It was a fan!" He beamed, waiting in anticipation to see the reaction. 

"Damn, Taichi actually has a fan? 'Nd they made him somethin'?" The brunette asked, finally looking up from the rubik's cube in his hand. 

Taichi froze for a few seconds, the fact he actually had a fan wasn't completely registering with him. A fan who went through the trouble of making him something no less! A huge smile spread across his face, though despite this, it also seemed like he was ready to break into a fit of tears at any given moment, "W-who was it?! Is she cute?!" Ah, nevermind. It was just that could barely contain himself, "She's gotta be cute if she made me a lunch, right?!" He continued to excitedly spit out questions without receiving an answer to a single one first.

"Wait, so some chick asked _you_ to personally deliver something to Taichi? And you actually gave her the time of day?" Banri interrupted Taichi's insane ramblings (who was still actively continuing). 

"Well it _was_ (Name)," Sakuya answered the question since Masumi was now completely ignoring them as he dug around in the kitchen, "And- ah how did you get here before us?" 

"Ditched," he shrugged, "But seriously? (Name) likes Taichi? Could've sworn she had a thing for Masumi." 

Taichi finally snapped out of his trance, "Wait, wait, who's (Name)?" Finally asking the questions that actually matter. 

"She's my... friend." Masumi rejoined the conversation with the information Taichi wanted, even if calling (Name) his 'friend' out loud felt completely foreign to him. It was the truth, but something about the word felt off, he just couldn't put his finger on what exactly it was that felt off to him. 

"You're gonna introduce me right?! I have to go see her in person!" 

"...Yeah."


	2. [2/5]

(Name) was sputtering absolute nonsense, face absolutely flushed with color. This reaction being ignited by the new information dumped onto her suddenly by the very unimpressed male sitting right across her watching the outburst, "So do you want me to tell him it's off?" He finally piped up, effectively getting her to shut up for a few seconds. An extremely short-lived few seconds, 

"Th-that's not what I'm saying at all!" She waved both her hands wildly in front of her, "I just didn't think you'd _actually_ set up a date with him for me!" 

"I'm only helping you 'cause it also helps me." He bluntly stated, causing the girl to become grounded in reality. Her previous flustered expression slowly calmed down, as did the color that had spread across her cheeks. Instead a small, soft smile made its way onto her face in response to his words, but there was a slight sense of cheekiness behind it. "Why are you looking at me like that?" 

"Like what?" 

"Like that." 

"No reason," (Name) chuckled, "Is there something so wrong with looking at my best friend?" She shook her head, "But that's off topic, I just really appreciate you setting this up for me, even if you're not completely honest about why you're doing it." The odd sentence made Masumi subtly quirk a brow, but he didn't press for more information. (Name) was weird enough already. "Speaking of..." her head tilted slightly, "When and where am I supposed to meet him?" 

"Today. Outside the gates after school. He's gonna be coming from Ouka High so you might be there a bit." He explained, his eyes never showing any signs he was actually invested into what he was planning for this girl, who had gone uncharacteristically silent, as if she were thinking over his words. t wasn't exactly a lot of information to process, so he was left unsure of what was keeping her. 

"That it?" She finally broke her silence. 

"Did you expect more?" To say he was confused at her reaction would be an understatement, but in classic Masumi fashion, he refused to let it show on his face. 

"From you?" She grinned, "I'd expect only the world, of course!" Her gaze flickered between the boy in front of her and _something_ outside the window. Curious of what had caught her attention, his own eyes followed along until he figured out what she kept glancing at.

She was looking at the school gates.

_'Ah. She's just nervous.'_

"Just don't be nervous." 

(Name), being unexpectedly pulled out of her thoughts, let out a sigh. Resting her elbows on their shared desk, she held up her own head, "Easy for you to say." She pouted, "I don't think I've ever seen you look anything close to nervous. In fact..." she trailed off as she squinted at him, seemingly studying the boy, "I don't think I'd even _believe_ you if you said you have." 

Masumi opened his mouth to give her a reply, but of course- was interrupted by the school bell. The sharp sound was (Name)'s cue to get going. She quickly gathered all the wrappers from her lunch and grabbed her schoolbag. Without another word, she gave Masumi yet another grateful smile and waved him goodbye. 

As she walked through the new horde of students trying to get to her next class, the all too familiar feeling of nervousness bubbling up within her was finally starting to intensify. It was the reason behind her leaving her best friend's classroom wordlessly. (Name) was already terrible at hiding her feelings from Masumi, but how _extreme_ they were was something she could mask. Her grip on her bag tightened and the warmth she felt on her cheeks only seemed to grow hotter and hotter, it was evident that she wouldn't have been hide it any longer if she had spoken even a single word back there. 

_How was she expected to focus in the rest of her classes when all she could think about is her upcoming date with her crush?_

Surprisingly, she was still able to retain the information taught to her in her remaining classes, though it was certainly a struggle when that bubble of anxiousness that sat in the pit of her stomach didn't seem to get any lighter. Feeling jittery and not quite ready to go by the school gates quite yet, she immediately went looking for her best friend to talk to him one last time. 

Luckily, she spotted him walking alongside another red-haired friend of her's. Cupping her hands around her mouth, she called out both of their names, effectively capturing their attention. She quickly caught up to them and greeted them both. 

As she was beginning to make idle chatter with Sakuya, Masumi interrupted their conversation, "Don't you have somewhere to be?" The blunt question caused the poor (hair color) girl to begin tripping over her own words, "Oh yeah! Aren't you supposed to see Taichi soon?" Sakuya asked. 

"H-Huh?! You know about that too?!" 

Sakuya could only offer her an apologetic look and a soft chuckle, "With Taichi, news travels around the dorm pretty fast." 

"So go. You're stalling." Without another word or even as much as a goodbye, the taller one of the two boys turned on his heel and began walking away. The second bid her goodbye with a quick "good luck!" added in for good measure. (Name) could only wave goodbye as she stood still, glued to her spot. Their tiny interaction had caused the knot in her stomach to temporarily go away, but the farther away they got, the harder it seemed to hit her. 

_No backing out now._

With newfound resolve, she took in a deep breath and headed towards the gates. 

After about a full twenty minutes of waiting, she spotted a boy with extremely familiar bright red hair approaching the school. Her heartbeat involuntarily sped up at just the sight of him, she couldn't help it. Her gaze fell off of him and onto the ground in an attempt to calm herself. Unfortunately her heartbeat returning to a normal speed wouldn't last long.

"Uh, hey! Are you (Last Name) (Name)?" He had approached her way faster than she expected and for a second, she couldn't even bring herself to speak actual words to the boy in front of her. His cheeks were dusted with a light pink as he scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. 

(Name) finally snapped out of it, "Y-Yeah! And you're Nanao Taichi..." She had the urge to address him as 'Benjamin' since that was the catalyst in her gaining a crush on the boy but luckily she was able to suppress it, "I'm a huge fan of your plays.. your performances are always spot on, and it's like each character you play pulls me in?" She let out a small nervous laugh, "Point is, I really think you're amazing." She complimented, hiding her hands behind her back whilst continuously shifting the weight between her legs. Internally beating herself up for spilling so much when he had only spoken one real sentence so far. 

Taichi stood dumbfounded for a second, what was once a simple pink on his cheeks turned into a much deeper red at the girl's words, it wasn't anything he was used to. At all. Masumi had only informed him of the basics when it came to this girl, but comparing his words to the ones forming in his mind at this very moment, he could only come to the conclusion that Masumi was _severely_ and almost _criminally_ underplaying how cute this girl would be when he would actually meet her. 

Not being able to find the right words to properly thank her for validating him as an actor, he dug around into his bag and pulled out a (snack), holding it out for her whilst struggling to maintain eye contact, "This is for you, he told me this was your favorite, s-so I went ahead and got you one. It's also thanks for that lunch the other day." 

Assuming 'he' could only mean the one boy who could have set this entire thing up, (Name) took the snack from his hands with a plain smile and a "thank you." She was admittedly confused about the mention of a lunch, but she chose not to question it.

Even the simplest of smiles was enough to fluster the boy at this point, "Should we get going? I have some fun stuff planned." He grinned, although he'd be lying if he said it wasn't to trick himself into relaxing, which seemed to work out in his favor as (Name) seemed to also relax with this much more cheerful atmosphere compared to the awkward one they were sharing less than a minute ago. 

"Yeah! I'll follow your lead." She perked right up and with that, the two began walking.

Their walk towards whatever place Taichi was leading them to was mostly filled with small talk, when (Name) decided to grumble a small complaint, "I really wish he had just picked a non-school day, then I wouldn't be forced to show up in my uniform." 

"Hm? I think it suits you though!" He chirped, mostly without thinking. His own words causing the both of them to blush and look away from one another. 

Fortunately for them, this second little burst of awkwardness wouldn't last long as they had finally made it to their destination. 

_Taichi's favorite karaoke place._

(Name) winced slightly at the building before them, "Maybe we should do something else? I'm not much of a singer myself. Wouldn't wanna, you know," she made explosion gestures with her hands, "Your eardrums there." 

He simply shook his head at her, "It's not about how good you can sing, it's just about having fun!" He gave her a huge grin and held out his hand for her to take (which even he thought was forward of him). 

_Well... After being shown that charming grin who in their right mind could say no? She placed her hand in his and into the building they went._

A few hours seemed to pass by the pair like nothing and when they finally exited the building, laughing without a care in the world, they looked up to the sky and realized nighttime was almost upon them. (Name) was the first to speak, "Ah... It's getting late huh? We should head home." 

"You gonna be okay? I could walk with you if you want?" He offered, but (Name) simply shook her head, "I'll be fine, but there is a couple of things I want to ask you." Taichi's small head tilt was all she needed for an invitation to continue, "Can we do this again sometime? And..." she pulled out her phone and handed it to him, "Can I have your number?" 

Unable to process exactly what was happening, the boy could only furiously nod, afraid he'd start stumbling over his words in front of her. He hurriedly entered in his number into the girl's phone, giving her his own so she could do the same.

_The two bid each other goodbye and walked off in different directions, quickly shooting off a text to the same exact person._

Masumi was in his room when he got two text messages from two people at once. Both reading the exact same thing,

_The date went super good! I cant thank u enough!'_


	3. [3/5]

"...and then after like his tenth try, he won me the plush I wanted!" (Name) gushed endlessly about her boyfriend. Yes, _boyfriend_. After their first initial date, the two frequently met up over the course of a month, and just a week ago had decided to make it official. It started off normal, but gradually it seemed as if the _only_ thing (Name) could talk about was him. Even if a conversation didn't start off that way, it would eventually lead into her rambling about him once again. 

"I don't care." This statement shut her up almost immediately and she went back to eating her lunch. She didn't seem hurt by it at all as she simply changed the subject into something else completely. Masumi let out an internal sigh at what had now seemingly become their new daily routine. They'd meet up in his classroom, they'd talk, she'd bring up Taichi, then he'd remind her that he couldn't care any less, and finally it'd conclude with normal conversation, followed by the bell soon after. 

To say he didn't care at all would be a lie in all actuality. If he were to be honest with himself, he'd even say it slightly _annoyed_ him. Mulling his thoughts over, he came to a sudden realization. 

_'Is this how they feel when I bring up Izumi?'_ The rare moment of self-awareness wouldn't last too long as he had convinced himself it was different almost as fast as the realization came to him. 

A few minuses before the bell rang and their routine would be over, (Name) began packing up her things, confusing the boy greatly. If everything was truly going to schedule, she should've been sticking around a little longer than she was. Unlike what he usually did, he was clearly displaying his confusion, which he could only tell as (Name) seemed able to pick up on it easily. 

"I'm just gonna get out of your hair a little earlier today." She giggled, "I'm not sure if I can hold myself back from bringing up you-know-who again," she slung her bag over her shoulder, "So before that happens and I annoy you even more, I'm just gonna get going. See you tomorrow?" Seeing him nod, she waved him goodbye and exited the classroom as she always does. 

Even as she was no longer in his field of view, his eyes lingered on the door she exited from. He turned around and faced forward, feeling unsure of what to do to fill up the remaining five minutes of lunch. The silence was completely foreign to him, he never realized how slowly five minutes could pass by when (Name) wasn't there to fill them up. Was it what he said? No, couldn't have been, she's heard it way too many times for it to affect her in the slightest, so what was the reason? Did she truly feel she was annoying him?

Well, in a way he was unsure of, she was. 

_In (Name)'s absence, Masumi mulling over own thoughts was enough to make the minutes fly by. Not even the screech of the bell could break him out of his concentration._

When it was finally time to go home, he was "picked up" as usual by his troupe leader. As they walked together, Sakuya noticed he was even more quiet than usual, "Hey is something wrong?" He questioned, but received no verbal reply. Masumi simply shook his head and that was the end of that. no matter how worried Sakuya was, he was forced to drop it entirely. 

_The walk home today was especially quiet, not even Sakuya who usually filled up the silence spoke much._

Only once had they reached the dorm did the red-haired boy speak, "Ah! Sorry Masumi, I just remembered I have to go buy something! I'll see you later!" With a quick bow, he turned on his heel and went in the opposite direction. 

"I'm home." He called out to a _truly_ empty place. Seeing as there was nothing else to do, he headed into his room. Taking a seat on his bed, he pulled out his headphones and plugged them into his phone to begin playing his favorite music. Putting on his favorite playlist, he comfortably switched up his position and was now lying in bed. 

He closed his eyes to take in his music. Slowly, but surely, he began to nod off.

_Violet colored eyes snapped open to find themselves surrounded by a white void of complete nothingness. Everywhere he looked, there was nothing. To put it as 'surreal' would be an understatement, he had no clue what was going on. Though he was perplexed, he began walking around the empty void, that was when he could make out a hazy figure in the distance. Squinting, he saw the long, brown and straight hair he had come to adore, as well as her signature blue striped t-shirt and jeans. With a smitten smile on his face, he quickened his pace to catch up with her. He placed his hand on her shoulder, alerting her of his presence. But when she turned around, it wasn't his beloved director who stood before him. No, it was his friend, (Name). Izumi's signature outfit had now completely morphed into (Name)'s favorite outfit. The eyes that stared back at them weren't the red tinted brown ones he often got lost in, but (Name)'s. The female standing before him was without a doubt, (Name)._

_"What's wrong?" Her voice echoed, "Are you feeling okay?" She placed her own hand atop the one that still rested on her shoulder, "You can tell me anything! We're best friends after all!" She flashed him a grin he could recognize from a mile away which calmed him more than he'd ever admit to himself. He immediately tensed back up without giving the girl an answer._

_This was wrong. Unnatural. How could he ever feel calm in this situation?_

_This girl wasn't Izumi. But why? Why was (Name) standing before him and not the perceived love of his life? His soulmate? As the girl had once put it._

_Why, why, why, wh-_

Masumi's eyes snapped open, but as soon as he awoke he was hit a powerful migraine. All he could think about was vaguely how weird his dream was, but he couldn't remember a single thing about it. He peeled off his headphones and slowly sat up, massaging his temples. 

"Oh hey, nice to see-" His roommate's voice rang out, but before Masumi could even acknowledge it, he was hit with an overwhelming sense of nausea. With no time to run to the bathroom, he grabbed a hold of the trash can near his bed and emptied the contents of what he assumed to be his stomach. But what he felt coming up didn't feel at all like food or anything he's ever felt before. 

Immediately, his roommate jumped up from his seat and ran to his side, rubbing circles on his back like he had done countless times for his little brothers, "Hey, you okay? What's wrong?" 

Masumi finally finished and when he opened up his eyes, he was utterly taken aback by what was inside the trash can. 

Marigold petals. 

He had done it. Masumi Usui had caught the disease. 

And he was absolutely _elated_. Marigolds weren't Izumi's favorite flower as far as he knew, but surely it must've changed since the last time he checked, right? The only person he was in love with was his director. He finally had enough proof to prove to her that his love was real. 

He quickly stood up, surprising the brunette next to him, "What are you doing? Shouldn't you lay down some mor-" Masumi didn't even let him finish before he walked out the room, trash can in hand. There was a slight delay as he had to process what just happened, but he, too, got up and chased after him. 

Walking into the living room, he was met with the faces of many of the company's members- but none of them were important to him as he scanned the room for a single specific person. When he spotted her back, he rushed over and placed his hand on her shoulder, giving the woman one hell of a start.

"M-Masumi! You scared me!" She laughed, "What's up?" Noticing what he was holding, she quirked a brow, "And why are you holding a trash can?" 

"I want you to look inside. Its proof my feelings for you aren't fake." His statement caused more than just her to look at him with utter confusion. 

Though she was extremely weirded out, Izumi complied anyways and took a peek inside the bin, "Marigold petals..?" She mumbled under her breath, "How does that pro-"

Her words were cut off by Tsuzuru suddenly barging in and marching right up to the pair, "Hey! You should be laying down right now!" He scolded harshly. 

"Go away." 

"Wait Tsuzuru? What's going on?" The female questioned, as did everyone else who was in the room, though their questions weren't voiced aloud. 

"He just threw up, I don't think he should be up and running just yet." He sighed and Izumi's eyes widened in realization. If what Tsuzuru had said was true then the flowers in the bin... The way he stated it was proof... It all clicked together.

"Masumi." She spoke in a serious tone effectively capturing his attention once again, "It's not me you have feelings for." Almost collectively, it seemed as if everyone had stopped breathing at the sudden news. In his own state of surprise, Masumi let go of the bin and the petals spilled on the floor, for everyone to see. A certain pair of magenta eyes widened at just what _kind_ of petals they were.

"But it has to be! Who else-" Izumi shook her head as she put a stop to his words, "I can't answer that for you. I just know for a fact it's not me. Marigolds are not my favorite flower." 

"Uh, Masumi..." The voice of the spring troupe's leader piped up, "Aren't those (Name)'s favorite...?" His words hit the boy like a ton of bricks. He could feel his previous migraine come back full force as he saw quick visions of the weird dream he had that he previously couldn't recall at all. He would've fallen over had Omi not pulled up a chair behind him for him to take a seat on. 

Had his feelings simply been laying dormant?

Pitiful looks were cast at the boy, when the door opening up caught their attention. 

"Hey guys!" The familiar cheerful voice called out to everyone, but his cerulean eyes only blinked owlishly when he noticed the atmosphere in the room, "What's the matter?" 

"Looks like Masumi caught the hanahaki disease." Itaru explained to the boy, causing the boy to do a double take, "Wait for real?" The blonde nodded, his pink eyes never straying from the boy sat in a chair., "For who?" At this question, the blonde shrugged, not knowing the answer, "It's _not_ Izumi?" Itaru shook his head. 

Overhearing this, Sakuya placed a hand on Masumi's shoulder and whispered, "You should tell him. He deserves to know." Masumi nodded and stood up, making his way over to the red head. 

He maintained eye contact as he spoke, "I'm in love with (Name)." 

Taichi froze up. He was having trouble processing the words so boldly said to him.

When Masumi's words had finally sunk, his fists clenched at his sides in anger. What other emotion was he supposed to feel? Masumi could have practically any girl he chooses, and yet he still chose the one girl who actually _didn't_ want to become his girlfriend. 

"What?! What do you mean you're 'in love with her'?! _You're_ the one who set us up in the first place!"


	4. [4/5]

"Hey are you okay?" (Name) stopped walking, accidentally causing the boy she was holding hands with to suddenly stumble, "You've been spacing out a lot lately." 

The look of concern she gave him was almost enough to make him spill everything. Everything ranging from how him and her "best friend" were no longer on speaking terms, to the times he had seen the boy come home from school only to be doubled over coughing up an onslaught of petals not a minute later. Yeah. No way he could tell her any of that. He shook his head and offered her one of his famous grins, "I'm good! I'm just thinking about what to get you for Christmas!" 

(Name) rolled her eyes playfully at his words, "Jeez, already?" She giggled, "Don't worry me like that again!" The two laughed it off, walking hand-in-hand once again.

_Taichi couldn't help the pang of guilt he felt for not telling her the truth, but there truly was no other option._

After an eventful date, (Name) had finally returned home with one of the biggest smiles of her life plastered on her face. Having already changed into her pajamas, she was ready to crawl into bed and knock out when her phone vibrated on her nightstand. Picking it up, the name that popped up on her screen had her taken aback. 

_'Masu-Masu.'_

It was a nickname she'd never dare to say aloud, but she was puzzled by the sudden text. Especially since felt like ages since the last time they texted each other. 

_'do you wanna hang out after school tmmrw?'_

If his name simply appearing at the top of her screen didn't catch her off guard, the question sure as hell did. She eyed the text suspiciously for a few more moments, debating on how to respond. Knowing she wouldn't be able to translate her thoughts coherently into a text message, she decided last second to give the boy a call instead. Luckily for her, he picked up right away and (Name) wasted no time in getting to the point, 

"Okay what gives? Why is it that all of the sudden you want to hang out?" 

"I have more free time." The voice on the other end plainly answered. 

The answer prompted (Name) to hold the phone in front of her rather than holding it up to her ear as she let out a scoff. Placing it back, she asked once again, "Okay, but what's the _real_ reason? You didn't expect me to actually buy that, did you?" Her grip on her phone tightened, "Especially after all those times I invited you out before. What was your answer then? Let me think..." She knew he couldn't see it, but she looked off to the side and tapped at her chin, "Oh yeah! 'It cuts into my time with her.'" She spoke through gritted teeth, fuming at this point. 

He went dead silent for a few seconds and (Name) almost hung up on him before he finally spoke, "Yeah, so I want to make up for it." 

(Name) let out a huff as she took a seat on her bed. It wasn't like she could hold a grudge, plus it wasn't like he had stopped associating with her altogether... 

"Fine. You can make it up to me when we hang out tomorrow. A-And make sure to bring multiple of my favorite (snack)! Those are my terms." Hearing him agree, she quickly said her goodbye and hung up the phone. 

Letting out a sigh, she shot a text to her boyfriend telling him she'd be hanging out with Masumi tomorrow, immediately getting a reply. He didn't seem exactly... happy about her plans. Though she wanted to stay up to argue a bit, the weight of her eyelids were getting the best of her. She sent him a quick 'goodnight' text before turning off her phone and plugging it in to charge.

Finally. She could now crawl into bed and get some much needed sleep. 

_As she drifted off, she could only think about what tomorrow had in store for her._

(Name) fortunately wasn't left wondering for too long as Masumi would explain everything at lunch. Before (Name) had even taken a seat at her usual spot, he had kept to his side of the deal and placed all the snacks he had bought on the desk. Grateful for that at the very least, she sat down and opened up her bag to stuff them all but one in there, "So what're the plans for today?" She inquired as she opened up the (snack) she had kept out. 

"Just the place we used to always go to."

"Wow, you sure are trying, huh? Trying to get nostalgia on your side?" She snickered, but little did she actually know that was very much part of his plan, "But sounds like fun! For old times' sake." She smiled before letting out an "oh!" and pointing a finger at him, "But you're paying, 'kay? I'd pay for myself but..." she trailed off with a cheeky grin, "Since this is your way of making it up to me, you'll handle it for today!" Masumi simply nodded, it wasn't as if the place they used to frequent together was anything expensive anyways.

After their plans were confirmed, they spent some time talking about other random topics, when much like a previous interaction the two had shared before, (Name) stood up out of her seat way before the bell rung, "Sorry, I'm gonna spend the rest of lunch texting Taichi 'cause..." she let out a small nervous laugh, "Let's just say he's not too cool with me hanging with you right now. I'm not really sure why 'cause he won't tell me but-" She cut herself off before she could ramble about her boyfriend once more, "Sorry, I'm doing it again. I'll come by your class after school."

Not even waiting for as much as a nod from the boy, she fished her phone out and walked out, wasting no time in exchanging texts. Only occasionally looking up from her phone as she walked through the halls until she landed on a bench to sit on. She just couldn't comprehend why Taichi seemed so against the idea of her and Masumi hanging out. He _was_ the one that got the two of them together in the first place, shouldn't that be reason enough to trust him _more_ than any other random guy? 

After some time had passed, Taichi had finally given up and their conversation had shifted from him trying to convince her to not hang out with Masumi, to just plainly talking about their days so far. (Name) was the one who had to end the conversation as her lunch period was slightly shorter. 

_All that was left to do was let her remaining classes pass her by and hang out with Masumi._

Stopping by his class, she was surprised to see Sakuya waiting nearby as well, she approached him with a friendly, "Hey Sakuya!"

Hearing his name called out, he turned around and waved at her, "Oh what's up?" He smiled, "I don't usually see you waiting around here." 

Before the girl could utter a reply, the exact boy she was waiting on stepped out of the classroom. 

"Let's go." Were the first two words he spoke, not even bothering to properly greet either of the two. Sakuya blinked in confusion when (Name) nodded.

Noticing the look on his face she spoke, "Wait, did he not tell you we were gonna be hanging out today?" When he simply shook his head at her question. He was going to voice his concerns but that was when (Name) sighed disapprovingly, "I'll have him apologize to you later, 'kay?" She chirped and with a wave, the two began walking away from the dumbfounded boy. As they walked, Sakuya could make out (Name) lightly scolding him, but in all honesty Masumi not letting him know about this hang out was the least of his worries.

Only one thought entered his mind,

_'Just what is his plan?'_

Just like old times, the pair walked beside each other as they talked about the topics they never had enough time for during their lunch period.

(Name) let out a content sigh, "You know, I'm really glad we're doing this again." She smiled at him to which he smiled right back at her, "Me too." The rare expression from him caused her cheeks to temporarily flood with heat.

It wasn't as if she had never seen him smile before, it was just that the smiles he gave to _her_ seemed to just disappear overnight right after he had joined the company. Seldom did she ever see the expression. 

"H-Hey would you look at that! We're here!" She exclaimed, praying that he didn't have the chance to see the color on her cheeks, "Hope you're ready to have your wallet hurt!" Snickering, she went on ahead and held the door open for him, "After you." 

_Yeah, that was a lie. (Name) was only able to eat less than about one thousand yen's worth in various breads._

One odd thing happened in their time together where Masumi had excused himself to the bathroom, but came back looking a tad bit paler than usual. (Name) tried to question him about it, but received no solid answer. She was forced to drop the subject entirely. 

"This was fun! Even if I didn't steal every last yen from you," She laughed, "We should do this again sometime!" Similar words were spoken before, having a huge impact on her life. And this time would be no different. 

_They certainly did 'do this again.' More than enough times to change the course of both of their lives, in fact._


	5. [5/5]

This morning was unlike any other for Masumi after he had caught the disease. His morning routine had become; wake up, throw up flower petals, get ready for school, eat breakfast, and head out. He had gotten so accustomed to it, in fact, that only when he was already doubled over in the bathroom with nothing coming out his mouth did he realize that the usual awful feeling of smooth petals closing off his airways was no longer present.

This could only mean one thing... His plan to get (Name) to return his feelings by having the two of them hang out outside of school hours actually _worked_. 

Without a moment's hesitation, he rushed out of the bathroom and headed back to his room where he promptly picked up his phone and sent a text to the girl that up until recently, he could only pine for.

_'Before school starts can you meet me on the roof'_ _He received a series of question marks followed by a single 'alright' in reply._

For some reason, he couldn't help but to feel good about what would transpire. After all, there was no way he was _wrong_. It was genuinely undeniable that (Name) returned his feelings. Nothing could go wrong. 

Not wanting to waste even a single second more, he hurriedly finished getting ready for school. The boy feared wasting even the smallest amount of time that he had completely skipped over a staple of his routine; eating breakfast. Rushing out the door, he didn't even acknowledge greetings he received, it was another case of his tunnel vision taking over. 

"...I wonder where he's off to in such a hurry." Their director spoke everyone's thoughts aloud as they stared at his retreating figure. However, one male among the group could only feel a sense of unease, but he couldn't put his finger on _why_ that was.

_"...It's cold."_

The male mumbled to himself, rubbing at his arms to keep himself warm as he stood on the roof of the school. Maybe he should apologize to (Name) later for asking her to meet him up here. 

Speaking of... the doors leading to the roof swung open and a very familiar voice called out, "What did you call me up here for? It's freezing!" She complained, rubbing her arms in the same manner he had, but with her skirt it felt as if she was truly being frozen. 

Wordlessly, Masumi approached the girl and took hold of one of her hands, holding it in between both of his own. Effective at warming up her hands, but ineffective at coming as charming as he wanted. The action caused (Name) to take a step back, confusion written all over her face, 

"What are you doi-" 

"You like me, don't you?"

His blunt question momentarily stunned (Name). Who after processing his words, snatched her hand back from him, "...What are you talking about...?" She barely managed to croak out, "Of course I like you, we're best friends!" She hissed, raising her voice slightly. 

"You have feelings for me." He once again stated in a matter-of-fact tone. (Name)'s eyes widened as she took another step back away from him, this lost and confused expression wouldn't last long as a look of pure anger took over,

"Are you crazy?! Have you forgotten that I'm literally dating Taichi?!" Her hands balled up into fists as she continued to seethe, "The one _you_ helped _me_ meet?!" She didn't even care about how loud she was getting at this point, she was just furious. 

It was an anger Masumi didn't even know she had the potential of even harboring, but... it didn't change the fact he still very much knew what the truth was. This outburst was not to convince _him_ that he was wrong in his assumption, but to convince _herself_ that what he was spewing was pure bullshit. 

"I have proo-" He cut himself off when he took notice of the hand that had reached up to slap him across the face. It stopped mid-air _just_ before it had actually made contact. The shock he felt at that very moment couldn't be put into words.

(Name) lowered her hand back to her side, her shoulders shaking. She turned on her heel and without another single word spoken, walked away. Slamming the doors behind her. 

_She couldn't bring herself follow through with it. Still... Masumi couldn't help but to wonder what sort of sensation it would've left behind had she gone through with it. Would it have a left a mark too?_

_That day, (Name) didn't show up to his class for lunch._

_She failed to show the next, too._

_And the next._

_Days turned into weeks on end and the two still had not interacted. No simple "hello"s were exchanged, nothing. They simply had no contact with one another._

Masumi knew she hadn't lost her feelings, though. Even as time went on, he didn't feel the effects of the disease coming back. 

After about a solid month of no contact, Masumi received a text from the girl of his affections herself, (Name). The text simply read,

' _You were right.'_

In the next room over, a red-haired boy coughed up an onslaught of marigold petals into a trash can, knuckles turning white from the sheer amount of force he was holding onto it with. Tears streamed down his cheeks ferociously. seemingly non-stop. 

_'But im not breaking up with Taichi.'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i rlly published this on taichis bday huh. damn. sorry king.


End file.
